Taking a gap year is a big–and highly personal–decision. It is certainly not for everyone, and the decision should not be taken lightly. In the US, only about 2-3% percent of students end up doing it.
With that being said, there are many positives and negatives to taking a gap year. Here are some of the most important things to consider as you make your decision.
What is a gap year?
A gap year is simply a period of time in which a student takes a break from their studies and pursues other goals like working or traveling. This is typically taken between high school and the first year of college, although it can also be taken at other times. The point of a gap year is not to relax for a whole year, but rather to explore avenues that may not be available in the typical university experience and to engage in self-learning. It is a meaningful opportunity to interact with the real world.
Benefit #1: Learn more about yourself
When you take a gap year, you are selecting the road less traveled. This offers an amazing opportunity to engage in a reflective, exploratory, and insightful year. Whether it’s pursuing internships, a study abroad of your own or simply traveling, missionary work, work, research, creative pursuits, or something entirely different, you will inherently learn a lot about yourself in a way that your peers may not. You are pushing your boundaries and engaging with the real world. This counts for a lot and will help you when you return to university!
Drawback #1: Fall behind with your peers (FOMO)
If you suffer from FOMO, this might hit you hard.
It can be hard to see all of your friends going through the typical college experience, making new friends, and posting about new achievements/adventures when you’re on a completely different path. If you are taking a gap year, you will then be one year behind them. In the grand scheme of things, this isn’t a big deal. When you’re fresh out of school, however, it can be difficult to see. Be sure to consider whether or not this social gap will be too much for you.
Benefit #2: Gain maturity
All of this reflection, learning, and real-world interaction will help you to gain a maturity that your classmates may not yet have. While everyone’s story differs, many college students go from a relatively structured high school experience to a slightly-less-but-still-structured college experience. They often have some degree of help, whether from parents or scholarships or financial aid, and they don’t have to “grow up” for a while. Taking a gap year often assists in this process because it gives you real world experience and capabilities. When you go into your classes, this experience will show, and you may be able to prioritize your studies more.
Drawback #2: Lose time
Everyone moves at their own pace. However, mathematically, a gap year does throw your typical schedule off by a year. If you’re on track to graduate in four years, that means that you will graduate at 23 (on average) instead of 22, and you will start working at a later age.
In the grand scheme of things, this likely won’t matter. You can make up the lost earnings, and your gained experience may just help you to land a better jobs and bounce around less.
However, the problem lies in the people who don’t take their gap year seriously. If you are considering a gap year so that you can stay at home and put off school, or because you simply want a break, look at the short and long term consequences carefully.
Benefit #3: Increased focus
If you take full advantage of your gap year, you may just return with increased energy, focus, and drive. When you sift through what you want to do, find a passion, and get some of the restlessness out of your system, you are naturally able to perform better. Instead of having attention split between a million possibilities and responsibilities, you are able to focus on just a few things. You may also value your college experience differently–more–than your peers who never experienced an alternative.
Reorienting yourself is never a bad thing. If taking a gap year will help you to do this in a productive manner, it’s worth considering.
Drawback #3: Distractions
A lot of things can happen in a year. As aforementioned, taking a gap year can turn from increasing your focus to losing you time in the long run. If you are looking at this as an opportunity to enjoy more leisure time, loaf around, and hope that your purpose in life lands in your lap, you’re likely going to fall further away from your goals. A gap year is not meant to be a year-long vacation. If you know that you’ll get caught up with your partner, trivial things, or wasting time, do everyone a favor and continue on the traditional path. You’ll thank yourself in the future.
Benefit #4: Save money + build your future
College is ridiculously expensive. If you’re on the fence about it, it may be a good idea to take some time! During your gap year, you can take classes at the community college to try it out, invest in platforms like Coursera (free) or Coursera Plus, work on developing your soft skills, and network. All of these are things that you may not have the opportunity to do if you take the traditional route, and it’s much less expensive to figure out ahead of time if college is not your end goal. Instead of potentially wasting a year there, you can start building the foundation for your future career.
Drawback #4: Lose money
Let’s face it: traveling is expensive. Not all internships, unfortunately, are paid. Life isn’t cheap these days. While a gap year can be an excellent opportunity to earn and save money, especially if you are supporting yourself during college, it can also turn into a money drain if you don’t consider your financial situation carefully. If traveling is in your plans, be sure to consider how you will fund it and if it’s really feasible. If you have doubts, hammer those out before you commit to the gap year. Similarly, if you’re taking this time to pursue a creative or research endeavor, be sure that you have the financial capability to do so first!
Benefit #5: Enrich your life culturally and socially
If you travel, work, or do something otherwise related to culture, you will gain so much! The sheer amount of exploration and networking you do without realizing is incredible, and it may just help you later down the line. There truly is something to be said for looking at the whole person and their role in society. If your college won’t allow for that, it may be a good idea to explore those opportunities before there are more roadblocks in place.
A Final Word
Taking a gap year isn’t an easy decision. There are many risks and rewards, and there’s no way of perfectly predicting the future. However, if you make a logical decision after weighing the pros and cons, trust your gut, and put your full effort into whatever your decision is, you will come out better on the other end.
What are your thoughts about a gap year?
Image by wal_172619 from Pixabay
